Nigel Davies describes the similarities between head teachers’ and nurse directors’ roles in raising standards

The drive to improve quality in the education sector is similar to that in health care, and lessons from the schools system are relevant to nursing leadership. This article discusses these shared traits, and details how school improvement was achieved in London and how a model of learning-centred leadership helped to transform pupil attainment in schools that had been performing poorly. Parallels are drawn between the education inspection system undertaken by Ofsted and the hospital inspections undertaken by the Care Quality Commission, and between the practice discipline-based managerial roles of nurse directors and head teachers. The article suggests that a learning-centred approach to improving the quality of patient care is needed, with a focus on the education and continuing professional development of staff.